Living in Deja Vu
by ChiseChitose
Summary: The story of what would have happened between Tom and B'Elanna if they had not been rescued from Quarra


Star Trek Voyager

Star Trek Voyager

Alternate Universe

Series: Part One of Three

Summary: The story of what would have happened between Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres if they had not been rescued by Voyager and recovered their memories from the episodes, Workforce Part I and II.

Disclaimer: Paramount/Viacom owns all Star Trek characters, except for Serenity Miral…well, the name Miral belongs to them too, just not Serenity

Living in Déjà vu

B'Elanna Torres walked through the jocular atmosphere of the tavern and sat down at her regular table. She scanned through the crowd till she found the object of her search. She smiled as Tom Paris caught her glance and waved over to her. She watched as he made his way over to her and she felt a familiar pang tugging at her heart when he smiled at her. She had only met and befriended the man a three weeks ago but she felt as if she had known him long before their first encounter.

Tom Paris grinned when he saw B'Elanna Torres enter the bar and sit at her regular spot. She held a special place in his heart even though he had just met her. Perhaps it was because she was pregnant and alone, but he knew that it was something more… something he couldn't really name. He walked over to her table and greeted her.

"Hey B'Elanna! I'm glad you made it. I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon," he said. He felt his heart speed up when she offered him her beautiful smile in greeting.

"We," she patted on her very round and pregnant belly, "were a bit hungry after work, so I decided to come down here and see if you would like to join me for dinner if you weren't busy."

Tom checked the chronometer on the nearby wall. "As a matter of fact, I get off duty in ten minutes and if you wouldn't mind waiting, I would love to join you for dinner. In the meantime, may I bring you something to drink while you wait?"

She smiled and said, "I will have a glass of the Mixlin nectar and a plate of crackers for the feisty one with the bottomless stomach!" she laughed as she rubbed her belly. Tom smiled again and he went to fetch her juice. Ten minutes later, he joined her once more and had dinner. 

An hour later, they were still at the table, talking and trading stories of how they arrived to work on Quarra. 

"…And that's when I decided to move here," Tom said as B'Elanna listened intently. "I'm glad I came here because I have a good job that pays well, the people are friendly and its safe to walk in the streets day or night." He paused and looked at B'Elanna. She had a troubled expression on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Your story about why you left Earth, it sounds so much like my own reason to leave Kessik IV. It's strange how all these planets have high crime rates and labor shortages, don't you think?" she inquired. She paused and reflected on her words. "Do you think it's like that over the galaxy, or just in the Alpha Quadrant?" 

Tom opened his mouth to reply when he was cut off by a sharp voice.

"Tom! What are you still doing here? Its past closing time and your shift ended hours ago. Don't forget that you have an early shift tomorrow!"

Tom turned to stare into the face of his flustered employer, Umali. She gave him a Look that said 'Get out now or you won't have anywhere to work at all'. Then she turned on her heels and left. He rose from his chair as B'Elanna proceeded to do the same. 

"I'm sorry about that, I completely lost track of the time," he apologized.

"It's alright, I wasn't paying attention to it as well. Unfortunately, I have an early shift tomorrow and this late night is going to reflect on my work." B'Elanna said.

"I'm sorry for keeping you out late," Tom said, "But I had a really nice time tonight. We should do it again sometime."

B'Elanna smiled. "I'd like that. Perhaps we could get together with Terr'nak and Mengi again. Their baby should be due anytime now. Maybe they'll need babysitters. I know I'll need one eventually," she said as she patted her rotund belly. A soft smile lit her face when the baby kicked in reply.

Tom grinned at her reaction and felt a feeling of familiarity surge through him. A vision, which lasted no more than a spilt second, flashed through his mind. He saw himself wearing a strange black and red uniform resting his head on B'Elanna's abdomen, while she smiled at him. She was wearing a similar uniform, only hers was gold and black. She also wore a wedding ring on her finger. Tom blinked and his face darkened with confusion for a moment. It disappeared quickly as if it had never happened. 

He took a deep breath and shrugged the strange apparition off. He then held out his hand and reached for B'Elanna's.

"May I walk you home?" he asked.

"That would be very nice, thank you." B'Elanna replied. And together, they ventured into the nighttime city.

The couple walked along the riverside to B'Elanna's apartment building. When they reached her darkened home, they said their good-byes.

"Good night B'Elanna." Tom said.

"Good night Tom. I had a wonderful evening." B'Elanna replied.

Tom smiled and suddenly the air around them grew very quiet. Tom stood nervously, not knowing what to do. He desperately wanted to kiss her goodnight yet he knew that they had just become friends and did not want to ruin the relationship. B'Elanna solved the problem for him when she leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek.

B'Elanna wasn't sure how Tom would react when she kissed him. It was only a friendly kiss and inside she was screaming for something more. She liked Tom. She liked him a lot, but she wasn't ready for a relationship. She liked the way their friendship was progressing yet inwardly she believed that there could be something much more between them. Hence, she decided to end the perfect evening with a light kiss on the cheek and a promise of future times together. She then turned and walked up to her apartment.

Tom smiled to himself as he watched B'Elanna make her way inside. Content that she was safe, he headed toward his own apartment building. He could still smell the lingering traces of her perfume, a smell that was faintly familiar and caused disturbingly haunting images of the two of them engaged in different activities together. Images of the two of them in a shuttlecraft being piloted by himself, and B'Elanna sitting at a workstation behind him, laughing at something he said, appeared in his mind. Then, an image him and her together in a theater of some sorts, holding hands and eating popcorn. With these strange yet lovely pictures in his head, he continued home.

__

"Maybe we should separate."

"No!"

"You don't know how hard… it is… to fight this… urging!"

"Are you telling me that I'm impossible to resist?"

"I wouldn't go that far!"

"Will you marry me?"

"You're proposing now?!?"

"Now's as good a time as any!"

"Are you saying, this baby is a girl?"

"No. Not at all."

"But it is a girl?"

"You cannot infer that."

"It's okay Doctor, you might as well just tell us."

"It's a girl."

B'Elanna awoke from her dream-filled slumber filled with confusion and a sense of déjà vu. In each of her dreams, she saw her life built on a relationship with Tom. It was as if she had lived a past life with him, only that life didn't seem so long ago. She was overcome with the sincerity and realism of it all. It was if her dreams were actual occurrences in life. She was happy in her dreams, and she wanted that happiness now. The baby began to kick and B'Elanna's twin stomachs began to growl with hunger. She arose and sighed. "I guess we're gonna have another late night, kiddo," she whispered. She sighed and retreated to her kitchen. As she prepared a snack, the depth of her feelings for Tom Paris surfaced.

"My God," she gasped. " I love him."

************************************************************************

Meanwhile, in Tom's apartment…

Tom tossed and turned in his bed. He had recently been awakened by a series of vivid and realistic dreams. His dreams were filled with images of him and B'Elanna, living a life together filled with love and happiness. One of the dreams in particular shocked him to extremes. He dreamt that he was in a medical bay with B'Elanna and she was trying to erase certain genes belonging to her child. THEIR CHILD if he recalled the dream correctly. He and B'Elanna were married and she had just learned that she was pregnant with their first child. The Tom Paris in his dreams was horrified at what B'Elanna had tried to accomplish, yet after he listened to her reasoning, he had understood why she wanted to do it and they sorted out the problem. B'Elanna decided not to go through with the procedure and the baby remained the way she was, which was perfect. Dream B'Elanna and Tom had been through many difficult things together and their love had always come through in the end result. 

Tom sat in his bed and contemplated his options. He could dismiss the dreams as wishful thinking of his subconscious, or he could confront B'Elanna with his information. These dreams seemed to be a little too real to just be dreams. Even so, he realized that he loved B'Elanna Torres, dreams or no dreams. Now, all he had to do was tell her. 

The next day, Tom did not see B'Elanna. She never showed up at the tavern. He was disappointed because he wanted to talk to her. He couldn't get her off his mind and it was reflecting in his work. Umali had reprimanded him twice over his mental preoccupation and she was getting frustrated. The last thing Tom needed was to lose another job. Thoughts of returning to the Power Distribution Facility made him grimace, and a shudder passed through his body when he remembered the evil efficiency monitor. He shook his head at the depressing thought and returned to his task. Just then, B'Elanna walked through the door. He caught her gaze and held it until she turned her glance toward someone standing behind him. He turned around to face…

"Umali! I was just about to seat this customer. Is there something else I can help you with after?" he said smoothly. When he returned his gaze to B'Elanna, she was no longer present. Disappointment covered his face and Umali tapped him on the shoulder and motioned for him to come to her office. Tom felt a sinking feeling originate in his stomach. When he reached her office, he was stunned to see B'Elanna sitting there with Umali. Before he could say anything, Umali spoke.

"Tom, Ms. Torres has requested to rent the tavern one week from now for a small party she would like to host. She has also requested that you be on staff that night, as you handle the guests so well." She gazed at him while he stood motionless. He seemed to be unable to tear his eyes away from B'Elanna. The sunlight shining through the office windows cast a glossy shine to B'Elanna's thick dark brown hair. She looked so beautiful to him that he couldn't speak. He didn't hear Umali calling his name.

"Tom!" she called. He snapped out of his trance. And looked up at Umali. 

"I think you know the guests of honor. Tet Terr'nak and his wife Mengi? B'Elanna wants to give a baby shower for them." 

B'Elanna turned to face Tom and smiled. "I think it would be a nice surprise for them, don't you agree?" she asked.

Tom wanted to smack himself. His overwhelming feelings were getting the best of him. He could barely concentrate on what B'Elanna was saying. He couldn't get the vision of her and him together at their wedding. 

'It was just a dream!' he thought to himself. 'Only a dream, but a very realistic and credible one at that', his mind added. He nodded dumbly and mumbled that it would be a great idea. Umali and B'Elanna smiled and continued with the preparations. He walked out of Umali's office and returned to work.

A few minutes later, B'Elanna appeared at the bar.

"Tom, are you alright? You seem kind of distant today. Is something bothering you?" she asked, worriedly.

"I had trouble sleeping last night," he replied. 'Because all I could think and dream about was you', he didn't add.

B'Elanna gave him a knowing smile and sighed. "I had trouble sleeping too. I think my baby is going to be nocturnal when she's born. She kicked all night long!"

Even though she sounded calm and collected, inside, B'Elanna was a wreck. She couldn't stop thinking about the dreams she had about Tom. She had been distracted all day, and standing next to him was making her heart race.

"I'm sorry," Tom grinned. "But at least you know that she's healthy and like to play," he said, trying to cheer her.

"Oh yes, she likes to play with her mother's internal organs. That's great. I wonder what type of sports she'll play with my body after she's born!" she laughed.

"Who knows, maybe she'll be a warp core engineer like her mother," Tom said.

B'Elanna gave him a strange look. "I'm not a warp engineer. I work in the atmospheric department." She chuckled. "You have to be on a starship to be a warp engineer. As you can see, we're planet-bound. Besides, I don't even like space travel!" she retorted. She could see the confused look on Tom's face. "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should go home and get some rest." 

Tom blanched. 'Where did that come from? I know she's not an engineer!' 

"Maybe you're right. I think I am just tired. I get off soon anyway. I'm going home and going straight to bed!"

"Good. You need to be in perfect health if you're going to help me plan this baby shower for Terr'nak and Mengi."she smiled.

"Wait, I'm going to help with a baby shower?" Tom whined.

B'Elanna flashed him her large puppy dog brown eyes. "Please! I can't do this without you! Besides, you're the one who introduced me to them! So technically, you are one of the hosts as well."

He grinned and told her that it wasn't a problem.

"Great! We should get started with the plans soon. You should have dinner with me tomorrow night at my apartment and we'll plan the whole thing. How does 19:30 sound?

"19:30 is perfect. So I'll see you tomorrow night then?"

"Yes, I'm in apartment 303 D. Don't be late!" she teased.

"Hey, I'm always on time!" Tom protested.

"I bet!" B'Elanna grinned.

With that, she left the tavern, once again leaving Tom speechless.

'I can't believe what I'm doing!' B'Elanna thought as she walked towards a transport station. 'Am I trying to build a relationship off a dream?' she wondered. 'Oh well, I have a feeling that this will turn out for the good.' And her baby kicked as if in a positive reply.

The End

(For now)


End file.
